Great films to feast on over the festive season, and the restaurants to channel them …
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1. Home Alone – Paulie’s Pizza, Dublin 4
I might be going out on a limb here, but it seems to me that Home Alone and Home Alone: Lost In New York are fundamentally films about pizza. I’m not quite sure what type of pizza the McCallisters were chowing down on the night that events were set in motion, but I do know that ten pizzas cost the family a total of $122.50 (plus tip) which feels like pretty good value today. Later in the movie, pizza-loving Kevin orders from Little Nero’s Pizzeria in an iconic scene that has led to merch with the famous quote, “Keep the change, you filthy animal” still in circulation over thirty years later! Where to find main character pizza: Paulie’s Pizza is the perfect pizza joint that every ‘hood should have. The Neapolitan base pizzas come with a vast range of toppings, and there’s also pasta and risotto for detractors.
2. Goodfellas – Rosa Madre, Dublin 2
Regarded by many as one of the greatest gangster movies of all time, the part that mesmerises me every single time is the prison cooking scene. Wise guys don’t do prison like the hoi polloi, especially not in the ’70s. The fellas reflect on how mobsters prepared dinner in prison which, for me, is one of the most unusually heart-warming scenes of all time. One gangster slices paper-thin garlic with a razor that “used to liquefy in the pan with just a little oil” while the other is on sauce duty and a third prepares the meat (or lobster). When the wine arrives and they all sit at the table to feast, it feels like the most convivial family dinner ever. If only that was the case!
Where to go for an indulgent Italian feast: Rosa Madre, where else? Luca de Marzio’s pride in his business is contagious and the room itself brims with a jovial ambience at any time of the year. Plus, you can enjoy the entire Goodfellas menu here, including ‘sauce’, lobster and steak.
3. When Harry Met Sally – Deli 613, Dublin 6
Nora Ephron’s 1989 cult classic explores the seemingly impossible dynamic of platonic friendship. It will forever be known for one of the most legendary scenes ever – especially for the ’80s when female sexuality was not spoken about, let alone portrayed on the big screen, in a deli no less! The unforgettable scene at Katz Deli in New York has made it one of the most famous delis in the city and the pastrami sandwich is THE dish to order … although similar results are not guaranteed.
Where to go for a mammoth pastrami sandwich: Deli 613 in Rathmines has garnered a legion of followers, with the XXL salt beef sandwich the closest contender to the Katz original.
4. The Santa Clause – Spilt Milk, Dublin 2
In Tim Allen’s 1994 hit, Judy the Elf tries to cheer up Allen’s character with a steaming cup of hot chocolate that took 1,200 years to perfect. That’s dedication. There are plenty of recipes for this version floating around the internet, but I’m sceptical, so I leave it to the experts.
Where to get the creamiest hot chocolate: Spilt Milk on Dublin’s Drury Street offers a few options – the difficulty lies in choosing one, from marshmallow bomb hot chocolat to honeycomb bomb and a caramel option. Ho hum, what would Santa do? As their slogan goes, it’s worth crying over …
5. A Christmas Carol – The King’s Head, Galway
Charles Dickens invented Christmas or, at the very least, reinvented it. His most famous Christmas novella was made into an animated film with Jim Carey in 2009 and, as with many of his works, food plays a leading role. The festive ending sees Scrooge send a prize turkey home for Tiny Tim and his family, completing his transformation from miserly to magnanimous. Where to enjoy a Dickens-style feast: where better than an 800-year-old pub in the heart of Galway serving up a feast of Friendly Farmer turkey and home-baked ham, with spiced rum, mulled wine and open fires to boot.